Silver Lining?
by Eidraith
Summary: Carmilla goes out to a bar to try and forget about her ex, but what happens when said ex turns up at the bar? Pre-Hollstein. T for mentions of abuse.


_**This hasn't been looked over, I haven't had time since college starts in an hour. To my readers of BM, I'm getting back to it I just had to deal with this idea running around in my head. First time writing Hollstein so it might be a little OOC, let me know if it's good pls and I might do more in the future.**_

* * *

 **Carmilla (18:51): Hey LaF, want to come over tonight? I have a bottle of whiskey and a Netflix queue with our names on it.**

 **LaF (18:52): Sup Creature of the Night? You never ask for a night in unless something's wrong.**

 **Carmilla (18:52): Why does something have to be wrong, can't I just want to spend time with my best friend?**

 **LaF (18:53): This is about Ell, isn't it? Come on Fangs, it's been three months man you need to get back out there. Hit the bar tonight and turn on the charm, you could do with some therapeutic female attention. Doctor's orders.**

 **Carmilla (18:58): Sorry I was too speechless to reply. Did the person who convinced me to stop my womanizing ways just tell me to go out and break some hearts?**

 **LaF (19:00): I don't make a habit of going back on what I say; you get cranky when you haven't got laid in a while. Just go out and get drunk, find a one night stand and I'll come see you tomorrow. Besides I'm working a science experiment tonight with Perr and a friend of ours soon, I can't back out since it took so long to convince Perr to come with me :D**

 **Carmilla (19:03): You two are sickeningly adorable, sure you aren't with her? Fine. I guess I can dig out my leather pants and my stunning charm. Science experiment? Don't land in hospital this time, or jail. I don't really want Ginger Snap to ring me in the middle of the night because she needs me to bail you out.**

 **LaF (19:05): I promise this one is a little tamer, I'll require your expert hangover food tomorrow though.**

 **Carmilla (19:06): Deal. See you tomorrow LaFonbrain.**

* * *

Carmilla sighed as she threw her phone back on to the bed; she really didn't feel like going out on the prowl tonight, she hadn't felt like it ever since Ell left her. Maybe it would do her some good; she opened her wardrobe and touched her leather pants softly before changing her mind and going to her favourite pair of black ripped jeans.

She mumbled angrily under her breath as she pulled them on. _I can't even wear leather without thinking of her, fucking really? That's it. I'm getting over her._

Her phone buzzed once more as she began to paw through her clothes to find a shirt that showed off her figure, she didn't have to search for very long. After she had pulled on the old band shirt, she thumbed in the password of her phone and saw a text from her brother.

 **Will (19:20): Hey Kitty, I'm back in town this weekend and I think Mattie is in town on the Saturday. Time for the Karnstein trio to paint the town red.**

 **Kitty (19:21): Looking forward to it little brother, the ladies won't know what hit them.**

Carmilla grinned, this definitely put her in a better mood, and she hadn't told her siblings the full story about how she was single again. As much as she loved them both, they were very protective and very attentive when she was upset. She knew that they'd have some choice words about her ex, and if they arrived on her doorstep for some 'family time' she wouldn't be able to hold it together. God she was pathetic, the name 'Karnstein' used to make men grab at their girlfriend's in an attempt to save them from the famous 'flirt-and-smirk' combo that all three siblings were adept at. Now she could barely stomach the idea of sleeping with a girl that wasn't Ell before tonight.

Carmilla smirked. That would definitely be changing soon.

* * *

The bass could be heard from outside of the club, normally Carmilla would have gone for a more alternative bar with better music, but tonight she wanted to lose herself in the music and heavy grinding on the dance floor. It helped that her favourite puppy was the man on the door, he grinned when he saw her and the two high-fived.

"Karnstein!"

She grinned back at him. "Evening, Puppy Boy."

The familiar insults didn't faze him anymore; he saw them as her way of showing affection now. If only she wasn't _too cool_ to show that she cared about anyone.

"Haven't seen you here in a while bro" He commented casually as he opened the door to some college students. "How you been?"

Carmilla sighed, she hadn't even entered the bar yet and she was already getting questioned by the staff that knew her. "Don't get sappy with me Bromeo, I'm fine. Here to prove that I've still got game."

He laughed for a moment before he opened the door, he shot her a wink as she walked past and he called out after her. "Go get em' Kitty!"

Carmilla was pretty sure that if she had rolled her eyes any harder they would have shot out of her head, she should have never introduced him to Will. She shook her head out of her thoughts as she took in the atmosphere of the bar, this was one of the more popular bars at Silas since they played more mainstream music here and had a large dancefloor, by a bar's standards anyway.

The dark haired woman sashayed to the bar and greeted the bartender, Elsie, with a wink.

"Hey you" Elsie smiled devilishly whilst wiping the inside of a glass with a cloth.

Carmilla lowered her tone, Elsie was an old 'study buddy' from her days at college, now they were nothing more than acquaintances who spoke when they both happened to be at the bar. Not that it stopped Elsie from trying to get her back into bed. "Long time no see" She bit her lip as she looked the woman up and down.

Her blonde hair was scraped back into a ponytail and she was wearing a typical bartender outfit of black slim-fit jeans and a black silk shirt.

"Don't tease Carmilla" Elsie admonished playfully.

She smiled arrogantly. "You know me; I can never resist a pretty face."

The two shared no more words as Carmilla was given two shots of Sambuca which were thrown down her throat with a practised ease, then a Black Widow was placed in her hand, at least they remembered her favourite cocktail.

Carmilla turned in her seat and surveyed the room, there were plenty of dancing teenagers but they weren't really appealing to her tonight, all blonde and too much makeup. She sighed; this was a bad idea, which made her feel even worse. Once upon a time she'd be at least halfway into picking up a girl on the dancefloor; maybe she should try that approach and get into her old self.

God, heartbreak was a bitch.

* * *

Throughout the night Carmilla had been drinking steadily to keep a clear head, she was currently enjoying a dance with a tall redheaded girl whose name she couldn't even care to remember. This was what she knew, right down to her very core. Body language, the art of bodies moving to the beat of a song, hips grinding and heavy breathing was like music to her ears.

This girl was too tall for her, there wasn't that much difference between them but she liked her girls to be either a couple of inches taller at the most. Carmilla blanched and made the excuse of going back to the bar when she realised that the girl had a similar structure to Danny, even though they looked nothing alike.

Elsie laughed when Carmilla got to the bar and was handed her next drink. "Tough crowd tonight?"

Carmilla scoffed. "Fuck no. My head isn't in the game tonight, too much shit going on."

Elsie pursed her lips and her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at the woman on the other side of the bar, she offered no reply as she found a nearby step and stood on it to get a better look at the crowd. "There. Middle of the dancefloor, sort of short with bleached blonde hair like mine. Imagine she's me, and go turn on the charm."

Carmilla spun around and it didn't take long to spot the girl she was talking about. "Why?"

The bartender raised an eyebrow. "Because you want a girl tonight that won't know what's wrong with you after looking at you for a second. Go for it Carmilla, you look like you need it."

Carmilla looked like she was about to argue for a moment but settled for raising her glass in thanks before heading in the direction of the girl that had been pointed out to her.

* * *

No.

 _No._

She's here.

 _She's here!_

Carmilla had halted her approach as soon as her eyes had landed on the familiar mole on her left cheek, of all nights it had to be this one that she turned up to _Carmilla's_ favourite bar.

 _Why the fuck didn't Kirsch come in and warn me!_ She thought furiously as she pushed through the throngs of people to find a safe space.

Pulling out her phone, she typed in her password to see several new texts and three missed calls.

 _ **Missed call from 'Will's bitch' (22:06)**_

 _ **Missed call from 'Will's bitch' (22:08)**_

 _ **Missed call from 'Will's bitch' (22:09)**_

The texts from Kirsch all read something along the lines of 'ABORT MISSION. PRINCESS PLASTIC IS HERE'

'Princess Plastic' was the name that her friends and family used for Ell, Carmilla had come up with the name when she was bitter and drunk and ever since then the name had stuck. Apparently everyone agreed with it since she acted like a perfect little princess in the beginning but turned into a regular Regina George, but a lot worse.

She also had a few more messages which she went to as soon as she texted LaFontaine, Carmilla then noticed that one of the messages was from them anyway.

 _ **LaF (21:56): Hey how's it going?**_

 _ **Broody Gay (22:14): LaF. Ell is at this bar. What the fuck do I do she hasn't seen me yet but I swear if she comes up to me I don't know if I'll hit her or kiss her.**_

 _ **LaF (22:15): You dare take her back and I get experimenting rights for an entire year Karnstein. I mean it. What bar are you in? We're all in a bar anyway; if we're nearby we'll come save you.**_

 _ **Broody Gay (22:15): Lophii's**_

 _ **LaF (22:16): Wait where the fuck are you then? WE'RE HERE TOO. Elsie didn't even tell me you were here, we're near the DJ come find us, you're too short for us to find.**_

 _ **Broody Gay (22:17): YOU'RE THE SAME HEIGHT AS ME. I'm on my way.**_

Carmilla shoved her phone back into her jeans and took a deep breath as she began to move in the direction of the music, she daren't look up in case _she_ saw her.

She took a completely different route around the bar as a means to avoid her ex-girlfriend, no such luck though. Carmilla collided with a body roughly in her haste to find LaFontaine, she looked up and dread pooled in her stomach as she gazed into the cerulean eyes of Ell.

The woman smiled innocently and moved her arms down Carmilla's frame so she could grip her forearms, her eyes raked up and down her body and she bit her lip hungrily. Carmilla had never felt smaller in her entire life, normally she was the predator but in this case she was the prey.

"Carm! Honey it's been so long!" She called out in her simpering voice.

Carmilla ground her teeth to try and maintain her self-control, she wouldn't give this woman the satisfaction of seeing her break down in public, and then her left shoulder began to throb with the weight of the memories threatening to crush her. She ripped herself out of the other woman's grip and glared at her fiercely, praying that she would be able to resist her persuasion.

"What the fuck are you doing here Kinney." The bite in her words made it perfectly clear that it was a rhetorical question.

"Look, Carm…"

Carmilla's nostrils flared in anger. "No. You don't get to call me that anymore, you clearly want to make a speech so get on with it. Then take your cheating, whiny ass out that door and out of my life."

Whilst not backing down from the staring contest, she tried to locate any kind of orange colour in her peripheral vision, she subtly looked over to the DJ and-

- _They're not there!_

Carmilla kept her face straight however the beginning bubbles of panic were flaring in her stomach, she could feel Ell drawing closer, the worst thing was that Ell knew exactly how she still had power over Carmilla.

"I made a mistake baby; I'd be stupid to give up someone as perfect as you." Ell whispered seductively as she drew nearer to Carmilla.

She could feel her resolve breaking down, she hated the woman standing in front of her but holy shit did she miss her.

Ell was still moving closer, her eyes shone as she knew that Carmilla was in her grasp, she took her face into a perfectly manicured hand and moved to press their lips together.

Someone cleared their throat behind them; Carmilla had never been more thankful for anything in her entire life.

Ell moved backwards and looked like she was ready to commit murder.

A small honey blonde girl forced her way between the two and shoved Ell back a few steps, she then stepped backwards into Carmilla's personal space and pressed her back into the very confused dark haired girl's front.

Not that Carmilla was complaining when she could see straight down this girl's shirt from her position.

"She bothering you baby?" _Baby? What?_

Carmilla smoothed her features and wrapped an arm around the mystery girl's waist, she was adorable. Tiny but looked like she could kill you, chocolate brown eyes and soft pink lips that were currently pressed into a very tense, thin line. Carmilla met Ell's eyes as she pressed a kiss behind the girl's ear, right where she used to do that to her ex.

Ell's jaw tensed. "And who the hell are you, small fry?"

The girl smirked, and boy did it look good on her. "Laura, _Carm's girlfriend_."

Ell arched an eyebrow. "You really downgraded here Kitty, this one's a cockroach"

Carmilla drew on 'Laura's' warmth so she could speak. "No one want you here Kinney, I'm a lot better off now with Laura." She made her point clear with another kiss to the adorable girl's neck.

LaFontaine and Perry drew up next to Carmilla and Laura; they were tense, as if they were looking for a fight. "That's right, double P, she doesn't need your manipulation anymore."

Ell straightened her posture and flipped her hair over her shoulder to show her passiveness. "You always did associate yourself with the wrong crowd Carmilla…" Her territorial staring contest with Laura hadn't been broken yet, both girl's too stubborn to look away. "Thank you for your input, _Susan._ "

LaFontaine visibly flinched; Ell smirked in her small victory until Perry moved forward with a look of murder in her eyes.

"I suggest you leave, Elizabeth. Clearly nobody wants you here and if you think I will allow you to insult my partner in such- such a disgusting way then I'm afraid you have another thing coming. You forget how much I know about you, what you admitted to me that nobody else knows. I would be very careful about who you choose to insult when the person's girlfriend and or closest friend knows all the details that will _ruin you._ Also, to be perfectly honest, Carmilla can do better than a cheap, abusive whore such as you."

Laura's ears perked up. _She abused this girl? What the frilly hell!_ "Be careful what you say next Princess Plastic, I can have you on your butt in 3 seconds flat."

If a mic could have been dropped at that point, it would have gone straight through the floor as Perry gave one more look to Ell that said _'don't fuck with me'_ and then turned back and wrapped a protective arm around LaFontaine, who was looking at her like she put the stars in the sky.

Carmilla had buried her face into Laura's shoulder as soon as Perry had mentioned the abuse, she had hoped that it wouldn't have been mentioned, but no of course not.

Ell had turned pale at Perry's threat; she knew exactly what the ginger was referring to. "Fine. I know a lost cause when I see one, have a nice life Carmilla…"

She then turned around and walked away as if she hadn't even seen them in the first place.

* * *

At Laura's suggestion, the remaining four all ducked out of the bar and headed to a 24-hour-diner that was located just a few streets away.

Carmilla didn't understand how she hadn't noticed this girl before; clearly she knew LaF and Perry so why had they never been introduced? She was wearing a white vest top and a pair of very short shorts with black thigh high socks and white converse.

They found a booth in the diner pretty quickly, since it was drawing up to midnight the place was practically empty except for the waitress Sarah-Jane, or SJ who Kirsch was dating, well at least Carmilla thought he was.

"Are you okay Carmilla?" Perry asked.

"Better. Thanks Mama Perr…" She answered with her head ducked down.

Perry's eyes widened in understanding before she jumped out of her seat and brought Carmilla into a warm hug, which the dark haired woman immediately sunk into, which of course she would furiously deny if brought up in conversation later.

Laura raised an eyebrow in LaF's direction. They leaned over and answered her unspoken question. "Carmilla has different nicknames for us, which tells us how she feels in that moment, she admitted to us once that Perry reminds hr of her biological mother, so she calls her Mama Perr since she mothers everyone and when she uses it Perry always goes and comforts her."

Laura's eyebrows knitted together in concern.

"Thank you for tonight guys…" Carmilla mumbled.

Laura smiled softly and gently rubbed circles into Carmilla's back, making her relax slightly as she leaned into the touch. "I think I should probably introduce myself then, Laura Hollis."

"Carmilla Karnstein"

"Oh, I know who you are already, don't worry." Laura smiled.

Carmilla raised an eyebrow. "How come you knew about me and I knew nothing about you?"

Perry excused herself quietly to go and order some food and drinks for the group, whilst LaFontaine looked down guiltily.

"It wasn't personal Dracula, when we first met Laura you were still getting cosy with Ell. We knew what she was doing to you but wouldn't let us help, we didn't want to subject L here to that, and we all know you would have lost sleep worrying about her Frosh." LaFontaine tried to explain.

Laura nodded solemnly. "I just wish I could have done something to help."

"You did"

Everyone turned to look at Carmilla as she grinned sheepishly. "You didn't have to come to my rescue tonight; you could have just kept out of my idiotic tendencies to fall in love with assholes."

"As if I was going to leave you with raging b- bad person!"

Perry soon returned with a tray in her hands which held an array of food and drinks for the group. She passed Carmilla a hot chocolate with an extra shot of caramel and a small smile, understanding her gratitude.

"Can I ask you a question?" Laura asked as she ripped open a package of cookies.

"Pretty sure you just did cutie but go ahead." Carmilla smirked, feeling her confidence come back a little.

Laura glared at her playfully before speaking tentatively. "Perry said that Ell abused you… How bad?"

Carmilla held her gaze for a moment, searching through the girl's eyes for something that Laura couldn't name. They could both feel Perry and LaFontaine's gaze on the pair, not even LaF had seen the damage done during a particularly bad argument.

"I- uh…" Carmilla began, she cleared her throat and spoke quickly when she saw Laura's nod of encouragement. "We weren't afraid to argue when we were together, but Ell knew that I would never raise a hand against her, daughter of an abusive relationship, so she knew that she could get away with anything and all I could do was shout at her. I tried to break up with her one night and then…"

Carmilla leaned back in her seat and lifted her shirt to the underside of her breasts to expose the pale plains of her stomach, Laura swallowed hard as she desperately tried to ignore how attractive Carmilla was and _oh god her abs_.

When her eyes focused back on the moment, she noticed the marks and almost faded bruises on her stomach and ribs. Laura fought down the bile rising in the back of her throat and suddenly she wanted to run back to the bar and tear that girl apart limb from limb.

Carmilla looked like a scared puppy as she felt three pairs of eyes on one of her darkest secrets, her head shot up when Laura began to trace a thin white line near her abdomen absentmindedly.

"She got angry that it was ending on my terms and she lost control so she stabbed me with a fork, nothing too serious, just a couple of stitches but I got the hell out of there after that."

LaFontaine's eyes burned with understanding. "So when you went into hiding, you weren't heartbroken."

Carmilla scoffed. "Of course not. I was healing at first, but then I knew she could reel me back in if she tried so I tried to stay away from places that she might have turned up in. I couldn't go out and find some girls even if I wanted to, too many questions about how I couldn't move properly."

Laura kissed her cheek. "Well, I don't think she'll be bothering you any time soon thanks to Perry."

Carmilla nodded, her cheeks burning after Laura's kiss. "Yeah, thank you Perry."

Perry smiled. "It was my pleasure, though I do wish I hadn't been so crude."

"No way! That was hardcore! And we do not apologise for the hardcore." LaFontaine grinned.

Carmilla and LaF high-fived as Perry and Laura shook their heads at the two of them.

* * *

About an hour later, Perry and LaFontaine said they had to go home but they still wanted Carmilla's magic hangover food in the morning. Carmilla sent them off with a promise to meet for breakfast.

Standing outside the diner, Carmilla pulled her jacket off and placed it around Laura's shoulders, making the girl blush profusely.

"Would it be too forward of me if I asked you out for a drink sometime during the week?" Carmilla asked, looking up at the stars above them.

"Sure you want to do that Karnstein? I don't know if you could handle me." Laura pushed Carmilla playfully, carefully avoiding the bruised areas.

Carmilla placed a hand on her chest in mock-hurt. "Is that a challenge Hollis?"

Laura bit her lip. "Oh I think it might be."

Carmilla swung an arm around Laura and quickly grabbed her phone out of her pocket; she brought it up to her chest and quickly thumbed in her number, then called herself so she had it too.

"Smooth." Laura glared, making Carmilla burst into laughter.

"So why were you here tonight anyway, I remember LaF saying something about an experiment?" Carmilla asked.

"We were testing how likely it is for people to pick up girls based on what they're wearing, one night I fit into the stereotype of the club and see how many I can pick up, then another night I dress to make myself look out of place and test it again. I owed LaF a favour." Laura answered.

Carmilla looked her up and down. "I don't see how anyone could say no to you, cupcake."

Laura blushed again and it was quickly becoming one of Carmilla's favourite things.

"Tell you what; I don't really want tonight to end. I've got Netflix and a few tubs of ice cream in my freezer?" Laura let the invitation speak for itself.

Carmilla looked down at her boots as she whispered. "I think I would like that very much."

Laura grinned; literally everything about her was sunshine and rainbows according to Carmilla. She pulled Carmilla down the street in the direction of her apartment, all the while making small talk about her dad, what she studied at Silas and even the cat that lives on the floor above her.

Carmilla couldn't help but give her a small kiss on the cheek, before she pulled her phone out and texted LaFontaine.

 _ **Broody Gay (00:05):**_ _**Thanks for tonight LaF; I'm staying at Cupcake's so we'll probably have to meet up later.**_

 _ **LaF (00:06): It's cool Karnstein, L's a decent girl, and she might be good for you if you give it a chance. Perr seems to think she likes you a little, even if she doesn't know it yet.**_

With LaF's admission, Carmilla knew she wasn't going to sleep with Laura tonight. For the first time in a while, he didn't want to just jump into bed and leave in the morning. Carmilla could feel this girl's night invading her senses and taking over her mind, the funny thing was that she didn't mind at all.


End file.
